The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2024

Name: The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2024
Rating: 3.893 (28 reviews)
ISBN: 9780063315778

By Hugh Howey & John Joseph Adams

Publisher Description

A can’t-miss science fiction and fantasy anthology of the year’s best short fiction, selected by New York Times bestselling author of the Silo series Hugh Howey and series editor John Joseph Adams.

"These are dangerous stories. The kind that warp reality and threaten to change the world" warns guest editor Hugh Howey in his introduction. The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2024 promises a treasure trove of audacious characters, daring worldbuilding, and twisted realties from some of today’s most imaginative, award-winning authors. A sibling duo of supernatural hitmen. A traveling spellbreaker and his trusty alligator mount. Superheroes registering for work. Sentient spaceships with an AI-human interface grow up together with their human pilots. From a Korean folk-tale retelling about the goddess of shamans, to a car, resurrected from obsolescence via automancy, for a road trip from California to Maine, these are stories that, for Howey, "challenged my worldview, that made me exercise new mental muscles, and that brought me to tears."

The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2024 includes A.R. CAPETTA • P. DJÈLÍ CLARK • JAMES S.A. COREY • AMAL EL-MOHTAR • ANDREW SEAN GREER • GRADY HENDRIX • ANN LECKIE • SAM J. MILLER REBECCA ROANHORSE • and others

This essential volume of speculative fiction delivers:

Imaginative Worldbuilding: From sentient spaceships that grow up with their human pilots to a car resurrected via automancy for a cross-country road trip, these stories build worlds that feel astonishingly real.
Modern Folklore & Magic: Discover a haunting Korean folk-tale retelling about the goddess of shamans or follow a traveling spellbreaker and his trusty alligator mount on his quest.
High-Concept Sci-Fi: Meet a sibling duo of supernatural hitmen, explore the lives of superheroes who have to register for their jobs, and witness the bond between pilots and their sentient AI companions.
Boundary-Pushing Stories: Hand-picked by Hugh Howey, these are the "dangerous stories" that warp reality, challenge your worldview, and will stick with you long after the last page.

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The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2024 Reviews

3.5

Ceili’s Chapter

Created 18 days ago

Cheezyh72

Created about 1 month ago

Meaghan G 🐈

Created about 1 month ago

“Since this is an anthology, I'll break my review down to an overall comment then one for each story (no spoilers). Overall: I prefer fantasy over science fiction. I'm more picky with what scifi I enjoy, and I don't enjoy the old fashioned "boys' club" type of sci-fi where female characters have no complexity or exist only as a tool for a male character's development or plot progression. So, my preferences dictate my review of these stories. In the anthology as a whole, there were some fantastic stories I loved and will reread, while there were others I didn't like at all. And others yet land somewhere in the middle. "How It Unfolds" by James S. Corey 👎 Has the vibe of old fashioned male-perspective science fiction, circa 1960's-90's. Had difficulty appreciating the story with such flat female characters. "Eye & Tooth" by Rebecca Roanhorse 👍 Spooky, a touch of horror, a story that has lingered in my mind for months after I read it. "Zeta-Epsilon" by Isabel J. Kim 🫳 I have mixed feelings on this one. The story is interesting, but it's not one that has stuck with me, and I didn't feel super engaged with the story as I read it. Not sure how to describe it, it just wasn't for me. "Bari and the Resurrection Flower" by Hana Lee 👍 Loved this story. Such an interesting exploration of a troubled/problematic family dynamic, expectation and obligation toward family, and Korean folklore. I immediately sent this one to friends once I read it. "Window Boy" by Thomas Ha 👎 This one was pretty dark/grin and just not for me. "Disassembling Light" by Kel Coleman 👎 Interesting premise, but references to dead animals (and killing animals) ruined it for me. Yet the story wouldn't work without it. Just not for me. "The Long Game" Ann Leckie 👍 Very cool idea and story. I didn't know what exactly was happening at first but it made sense piece by piece as I read on, and the slow reveal was well done. "John Hallowback and the Witch" by Amal El-Mohtar 👍 Compelling characters, kept me curious throughout. "Calypso's Guest" by Andrew Sean Greer 👎 Based on the title, it's no spoiler that the story parallels a certain section of Homer's The Odyssey. I wish this story didn't have that parallel; I think it would be a stronger story without the reference. Maybe that's not the point. Maybe the point is flying over my head. There are some incredible, original aspects of this story, and I think it being a retelling diminishes that. "The Blade and the Bloodwright" by Sloane Leong 👎 This was way too dark and gruesome for me, and I didn't find the ending satisfying. I have no sympathy for the protagonist. The world building was interesting, but there's brutality that ruins it for me. If I'd known what it was going to be about, I would have skipped this story. Trigger warning for this story: gang rape. "Form 8774-D" by Alex Irvine 🫳 I liked it, though I didn't love it. It has the vibe of The Incredibles. There's something silly about superheros needing to file paperwork to register themselves but there's great depth in exploring who is eligible and who isn't, and why. "Resurrection Highway" by A.R. Capetta 🫳 It's so much about cars that I didn't expect to like it much. I feel like something is missing from the story, but I haven't figured out what it is. "The Four Last Things" by Christopher Rowe 👎 I have no idea what was happening through most of this story. I was not picking up what this story was putting down. "Ankle Snatcher" by Grady Hendrix 👎 I really dislike the way the protagonist talks and thinks about women. The story opens with a date, and the female date divulges something personal, and the protagonist doesn't acknowledge it, doesn't say anything about it. There's more that I haven't put my finger on, and to do so would require addressing spoilers. "Emotional Resonance" by V.M. Alaya 👎 The characters and world building were so imaginative and interesting, but I felt the plot was predictable. "Bruised-Eye Dusk" by Jonathan Louis Duck worth 👍 A really cool take on magic and spellcasters. Takes place in swampy terraign and people have accents like the American south. Imaginative world and unforgettable characters. I want a whole book of this. "Once Upon a Time at the Oakmont" by P.A. Cornell 👍 Super well written; I couldn't put it down once I started reading. Interesting premise and nice twist at the end. "How to Raise a Kraken in Your Bathtub" by P. Djèlí Clark 👍 This is another I immediately sent to friends after finishing it, and I also want a whole book of this story. There's so much world building in such a short story; it's a mastercraft in that aspect, certainly. I didn't like all the characters, but likeability does not a good character make; I wanted to know what happened to the protagonist and what decisions he would make even if I wasn't rooting for him along the way. Really great short story. "Falling Bodies" by Rebecca Roanhorse 👍 So much world building in such a short story. Each character is complex and nuanced, and the circumstances of their world only complicate everything. Really engaging story that I so crave to discuss with someone. "If Someone You Love Has Become a Vurdalak" by Sam J. Miller 👍 Dark story, fantastical element parallels drug use (not a spoiler, shows up on the first page), and family dynamics with that.”

Eirene

Created 3 months ago

maddie

Created 5 months ago

About Hugh Howey

Hugh Howey is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Silo Series: Wool, Shift, and Dust; Beacon 23; Sand; Half Way Home; and Machine Learning. His works have been translated into more than forty languages and have sold millions of copies worldwide. Adapted from his bestselling sci-fi trilogy, Silo is now streaming on Apple TV+ and Beacon 23 is streaming on MGM+. Howey lives in New York with his wife, Shay.

Other books by Hugh Howey

Across the Sand

Sand

Wool

Dust

The Silo Series Collection

Shift

Half Way Home

Wastelands: The New Apocalypse

John Joseph Adams & Veronica Roth &

$9.99

Futures & Fantasies

John Joseph Adams & Hugh Howey &

Free

Machine Learning

Hugh Howey

$14.99

John Joseph Adams

John Joseph Adams is the series editor of The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy and the editor of the Hugo Award–winning Lightspeed, and of more than forty anthologies, including Lost Worlds & Mythological Kingdoms, The Far Reaches, and Out There Screaming (coedited with Jordan Peele).

Other books by John Joseph Adams

Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2026

John Joseph Adams & Olivie Blake

$12.99

Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 190 (March 2026)

The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2024

Publisher Description

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The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2024 Reviews

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